NEW PORT RICHEY – Pasco-Hernando State College’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society chapter has earned not one, but two Hallmark Awards at the international level.
Hallmark Awards are among the most prestigious honors in Phi Theta Kappa. Pasco-Hernando State College stood out among chapters from across the globe.
The Distinguished Chapter Hallmark Award recognizes the Pasco-Hernando State College chapter as one of the top Phi Theta Kappa chapters in the world. The honor was built through vision, determination and a resurgence led by the former chapter president Kaylee Smith.
Under Smith’s leadership, the chapter was reinvigorated from the ground up. She set a new standard for what membership in PHSC’s Phi Theta Kappa could mean, inspiring students to engage more deeply with its mission.
“What truly shaped my direction at PHSC was Phi Theta Kappa,” Smith said. “As the former college-wide president, I had the privilege of rebuilding and strengthening a once abandoned society, turning it back into a space where leadership, scholarship, service and fellowship were not just hallmarks, but lived experiences. The hallmarks of Phi Theta Kappa are not just words I leave behind today. They are values I carry forward into every space I enter.”
Adding to that momentum was Jessica “Kirby” Boatman, a transfer student who arrived with fresh energy and a drive to build on everything Smith had set in motion.
“Being a part of Phi Theta Kappa is an opportunity and a responsibility that I hold close to my heart,” said Boatman, current president. “My involvement in PTK has taught me that what we can carry out alone is minimal compared to the things we can conduct together, and I am looking forward to this upcoming school year.”
Pasco-Hernando State College won a second Hallmark Award, the Distinguished College Project, which recognizes initiatives that made a meaningful, lasting impact on the college community.
The college won specifically for Bobcat Banter, a student-driven video podcast born from the vision of former Phi Theta Kappa member Emmalise Feliciano. The series features conversations that connect students, faculty and the broader community. With professional studio recordings and real on-camera interviews, Bobcat Banter gave Pasco-Hernando State College a new kind of voice, built by students, for students.
Feliciano led the vision alongside former team members Tyson Branstetter and Eli Ferreira, with guidance from instructor Jon Tietz.
“It is a platform that celebrates the voices, achievements and experiences of our college community,” Feliciano said.
